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Dear EarthTalk: I live in Massachusetts and often walk in the woods. It seems as if there are endless pests and diseases attacking our native trees. There are so many fallen or dead trees in the woods now. Is there hope for our forests? — Molly Goodwin, via email
In colonial days, wood was a hot commodity in New England. It was so widely used for agriculture and other industries that, between the 17th and 20th centuries, several New England states saw a 60 percent reduction in woodlands. Today, roughly 80 percent of New England is wooded again, but over 99 percent of the trees were planted within the last 100 years. These new-growth forests are remarkably homogenous, being evenly spaced, similar in height and size, and primarily of the same species.
Though trees have significantly rallied, financial support for New England land conservation has dropped by half since 2008. The annually conserved land area declined sixfold in just a decade, from 333,000 acres in the early 2000s to just 50,000 acres since 2010. A Harvard study showed that New England is losing 65 acres of woods daily to development, half which is related to increasing residential demands. Beyond development threats, the lack of biodiversity in these homogenous new-growth forests makes them particularly vulnerable to environmental changes, invasive species and infectious diseases.
Rising temperatures put new-growth trees at risk of droughts, soil deterioration and extreme weather events. Invasive southern insects like the gypsy moth and Southern pine beetle are migrating northward as historically colder climates begin to warm. These bugs defoliate trees, bore bark to feed on tree sap, and cause needle loss. And invasive plants are now outcompeting native ones by releasing enzymes into the soil that limit the native plant growth and form dense thickets that shade out native species.
Citizens, scientists and ecologists must work together to prevent a ‘bare New England.’ State and local governments have the power to strengthen conservation efforts. For one, the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act permits towns to impose a surcharge of up to three percent on property taxes which is then diverted to preservation. Participation is voluntary, but 56 percent of towns have opted in.
Sustainable forestry is needed to prevent more tree loss. Selective cutting removes specific trees rather than clear-cutting. Building upwards instead of outwards reduces land clearance. Improving paper and wood recycling efforts reduces the demand for raw materials from forests. Removing invasive species would improve soil health and enhance ecosystem resilience. However, the process is labor-intensive and costly. Despite these challenges, finding the right balance between conservation, demand reduction, and invasive species removal may be the key to preserving the New England forests.
EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit EarthTalk.
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Constance Walsh
Oct 02, 2024
LAKEVILLE — Constance (Connie) Walsh of Quogue, New York and West Palm Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully on Sept. 16, following a brief illness and surrounded by the warm embrace of her loving family.
Born Aug. 2, 1938, in New York City, Connie grew up in Riverdale, attended Marymount College, and raised her family in New Rochelle, Bronxville, and Manhattan.
A lover of sand and sea, she spent her childhood summers on the beach in Point Lookout, then, with her parents, sister and brother, discovered Westhampton Beach and later Quogue where she and her six children have summered for decades.
An avid athlete, fabulous dancer, fashion maven, and invincible entrepreneur, Connie founded the children’s modeling agency Rascals Unlimited in Manhattan, opened the first internet cafe and coffee house in Lakeville, and became a prominent real estate broker in New York City and Quogue.
Connie was predeceased by her parents, Billie and Tom Walsh, her sister, Barbara Freehill, and brother, Thomas Walsh.
A charismatic, valiant spirit and lover of life, Connie inspired all who met her.
She is survived by her six adoring children; Billie Fitzpatrick (Gretchen Weimer),Tracy Finnegan (Joe), Tara Fitzpatrick, Jacqui Fitzpatrick, Siobhan Austin (Bob), and Ryan Fitzpatrick (Tom Cunningham); eleven grandchildren, Conor McGlone, Brendan McGlone, Darby McGlone, Joey McGlone, and Sophia Fitzpatrick, Sean Finnegan, Patrick Finnegan, and Daniel Finnegan, Grace Fitzpatrick and Dare Fitzpatrick, and Maud Fitzpatrick.
A Memorial Mass will be held at Immaculate Conception, Quogue, NY at 11 a.m. Oct. 26, followed by a reception at the Quogue Field Club.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
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High-speed rail turns 60 this month
Oct 02, 2024
Syced/Creative Commons
Happy 60th birthday to high-speed rail. It was on October 1st in 1964 that the Shinkansen, Japan’s revolutionary super-fast train, made its debut.
Known as the “bullet train” because of its aerodynamic shape, the Shinkansen (which translates as “new trunk line”) made the run from Tokyo to Osaka in 4 hours and 40 minutes compared to the conventional trains, which took two hours longer.
Today, with the evolution of Japanese rail technology, the run now takes just 2 ½ hours, averaging about 200 mph. In peak hours the trains leave every three to five minutes, each carrying up to 1300 passengers.
In contrast, Amtrak’s fastest train, Acela, runs once an hour carrying a maximum of 304 passengers at an average speed (including station stops) of about 80 mph. By the way, Acela may be the fastest train in the U.S. but it’s not true high-speed rail (defined as 155 mph or faster and running on dedicated tracks).
How did Japan beat the world to this concept? Out of necessity.
Amtrak’s fastest train, Acela, carries a maximum of 304 passengers at an average speed of about 80 mph.
After World War II, Japan experienced rapid economic recovery and growth. Urbanization increased dramatically, and major cities like Tokyo and Osaka became densely populated. There was an obvious need for faster and more efficient transportation to connect these urban hubs, especially along the Tōkaidō corridor, which was Japan’s busiest route.
Before the Shinkansen, conventional rail lines in Japan were heavily congested, especially between Tokyo and Osaka. The existing trains were slow, operated on narrow gauge tracks and couldn’t meet the growing demand for travel, both for business and leisure. Building a high-speed rail system would relieve this congestion and shorten travel times.
Japan also wanted to demonstrate its technological innovation and engineering prowess to the world, especially in the lead-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The Shinkansen became a symbol of Japan’s post-war recovery, showcasing cutting-edge technology in transportation and helping to raise its profile on the global stage.
Today there are over 1800 miles of high speed rail in Japan annually carrying 353 million riders, and they are already building a $64 billion maglev version that can go 314 mph. It should be ready by 2034.\
Japan Rail (JR) had hoped to export its expertise to other countries but only Taiwan adopted the technology and only in a limited fashion.
France quickly followed with its TGV, la Train a Grande Vitesse (high-speed train) introducing its first service in 1981 running between Paris and Lyon. Today there are over 1700 miles of TGV service in France.
Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia and even Morocco operate high-speed rail. But it is China that has the most extensive network covering 28,000 miles of tracks. The line from Beijing to Hong Kong alone runs 1,400 miles and, despite its speeds averaging 217 mph, takes 8.5 hours to complete its journey. There’s even an overnight high-speed train with sleeping cars.
In the U.S. there’s a high-speed rail project being built in California between LA and San Francisco and another line from LA to Las Vegas (Brightline West)… so we’re still playing catch-up.
Jim Cameron is founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes this weekly column called “Talking Transportation” for CT Mirror and other publications.
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